Rookie of the Year odds lengthen for Ben Simmons, Markelle Fultz after summer league

Rookie of the Year odds lengthen for Ben Simmons, Markelle Fultz after summer league

Markelle Fultz's summer league experience was cut short because of injury. Ben Simmons didn't play. Still, with 2017's summer league action in the books, the two Sixers No. 1 picks have seen their odds of winning Rookie of the Year lengthen, according to Bovada.

The Mavericks' Dennis Smith Jr. jumped Simmons on the list. In June, Smith was given 16/1 odds. After a solid first impression that earned him a spot on the summer league first team, his odds have been shortened to 3/1. In six games in Vegas, Smith averaged 17.3 points, 4.2 assists and 4.8 rebounds per game.

As he was last month, Lakers second overall pick Lonzo Ball is still the favorite to win the award at 5/2 odds. As the NBA Summer League's MVP, Ball posted averages of 16.3 points, 9.3 assists, 7.7 rebounds, 2.5 steals and 1.0 blocks per game. His four games with at least 10 assists were three more than any other player has ever recorded. The Lakers won the league despite Ball sitting out the championship win over the Trail Blazers with a calf strain.

Simmons has the third-best odds now, going from 3/1 to 7/2. The Celtics' Jayson Tatum is one spot behind him at 5/1, swapping his 9/1 odds with Fultz in the fifth-best position. Tatum's numbers impressed in both Utah and Vegas.

Another noteworthy move in the odds involves Atlanta's John Collins. Collins had 20/1 odds after the draft and played well in Vegas — 15.4 points and 9.2 boards per game. He got the first-team nod as well, but dropped a bit, now owning 33/1 odds for a share of the ninth-best likelihood of taking home the award.

Dario Saric remains the heavy favorite in the Rookie of the Year race, according to Bovada, checking in Monday with 5/12 odds.

Saric was also the favorite in last month's update at 1/2.

Joel Embiid remains second at 11/4, even though he'll finish the season having played just 31 games.

Bucks guard Malcolm Brogdon -- who has been hot lately, averaging 13.3 points and 4.6 assists, shooting 51 percent from the field and 90 percent from the line during his last 17 games -- is third in ROY odds at 15/4.

Some think Brogdon is more deserving because he's helping his team to the playoffs. Milwaukee is 12-5 during that aforementioned stretch from Brogdon and has risen to the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference at 40-37.

Saric, though, has stood out nearly every night for the Sixers. Since Feb. 8, Saric has played 26 games and averaged 18.9 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists. He's shot 45 percent from the field, 31 percent from three and 81 percent from the line.

If Saric does win, he'll be the Sixers' third-ever Rookie of the Year, joining Allen Iverson (1996) and Michael Carter-Williams (2013).

Dario Saric now the heavy favorite to win Rookie of the Year

Dario Saric now the heavy favorite to win Rookie of the Year

If you got your money in on Dario Saric to win Rookie of the Year last month, way to go. Dinner's on you.

Saric, listed at a whopping 33/1 to win Rookie of the Year when Bovada released its odds on Feb. 1, is now the heavy favorite at 1/2.

If you put $100 on Saric to win on Feb. 1, you'd be looking at a $3,300 return. Whereas if you put $100 today on him to win it, the return would be just $50.

Saric has been a do-it-all forward for the Sixers lately, averaging 18.9 points, 8.3 rebounds and 3.8 assists over his last 12 games. He's shot 47 percent from the field, although he's struggled from three (27.9 percent).

Saric's season numbers are up to 11.6 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists.

Next on the list is Milwaukee Bucks guard Malcolm Brogdon at 3/1. He's made a push of late, too, nailing 42.2 percent of his threes since Feb. 1.

Brogdon is averaging 9.9 points and 4.1 assists, shooting 45 percent from the field, 42 percent from three and 85 percent from the line.

Joel Embiid, who is out for the season with a knee injury and will end the year with just 31 games played, is still third in the Rookie of the Year odds at 15/4. No matter how dominant Embiid was in those 31 games, it'd be extremely difficult for him to get the necessary votes given how much more his competitors played.

Embiid will end his rookie season with averages of 20.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.5 blocks. If he got to, say, 50 games, the award would probably be his.